IF you purely look at positions, it is easy to get carried away with the current Vanarama National League North table.

However, zoom in a bit closer on the details and it has expectedly been damaged due to Covid and the recent poor weather. A few teams have played 17 games whilst others as low as 11.

Guiseley fall somewhere in the middle but it's in the results department where supporters will be concerned.

Twelve points from a possible 45 is relegation form, and that shows with only Blyth Spartans and Alfreton Town below them.

The latter visit Nethermoor on Saturday with the Lions knowing a defeat will plunge them into the drop zone.

Joint-boss Russ O'Neill does not feel the game will determine his side's season though.

He said: "It is only early on. We always knew when the fixtures came out that we had a difficult period up to Christmas.

"In terms of a one off game, looking at how things stand, it is big but it is no different from any other.

"Over the course of the season, teams finish where they deserve to be. This one game is not going to decide the season by any stretch."

An injury time winner by Gateshead forward Macaulay Langstaff proved to be the difference last time out meaning Guiseley are now winless in five in all competitions.

"We have had three consecutive 1-0 defeats on the road now to three full-time teams," O'Neill added.

"We have got a lot of young players with great potential but ultimately it comes down to results.

"It has been an accumulation of things. We are finding our feet again like a lot of the other teams are. We always knew these three away games were going to be difficult.

"The two previous games in the FA Trophy, we took Stockport to the death and beat Chorley.

"Either side of that, we beat Southport and drew with Farsley Celtic. We are slowly but surely getting there.

"At Gateshead we were on the front foot and took control instead of reacting from a goal down.

"We are in a league where some teams are full-time and others are part-time, so we have to bridge that gap. We can’t have too many excuses."

Midfielder Liam Tongue, who has scored 16 goals and assisted 10 times in 45 appearances at Hyde United, joined on a dual-registration before the Heed game.

Meanwhile, Milan Butterfield has departed returning to parent club Chesterfield.

O'Neill said: "With their (step three and below) leagues getting shut down, it has pulled things forward. Liam is someone we identified last season but he decided to stay at Hyde.

"With Covid all these lads want to continue playing and our league is the first league allowed to play under these rules. It gives us an advantage to get them into the group.

"This weekend just gone is the first time all season that we have had players not involved. Previous games we have been struggling to put a team on the pitch (due to injuries).

"We can now start looking at where we are as a squad. Instead of doing things that are needed, we can do things on merit."